VENICE – Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are getting ready to descend on the Venice Film Festival this week, from George Clooney and Angelina Jolie to Lady Gaga and Brad Pitt.
But while the allure of A-listers on those picturesque docks is a welcome return to form after last year’s lower-wattage edition amid the strikes, the spotlight that matters most will be on their films. Along with Cannes, Venice — which runs from Aug. 28 through Sept. 7 — is one of the most glamorous launching pads for awards season. The films that do well on the Lido will be dominating the conversation until the Oscars in March.
In this year’s lineup, there’s both big Hollywood fare (“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 2” to “Wolfs”) and a vast array of intriguing films from auteurs around the world. At festivals, the best thing is to keep an open mind and see as much as possible — you never know what might hit. In the meantime, though, here are 10 films to get excited about at Venice.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” (Sept. 4)
No matter which side of the “Joker” discourse you were on five years ago, the fact that all involved would bring the sequel back to Venice to play in competition is promising. “Joker: Folie à Deux” doesn’t need the festival buzz, after all. The first film made over $1 billion and was nominated for 11 Oscars. Venice chief Alberto Barbera told Deadline that it’s completely different from the first, a dystopian musical that is “one of the most daring, brave and creative films in recent American cinema” and “confirms Todd Phillips as one of the most creative directors working at the moment.” It’ll be in theaters Oct. 4.
“Maria” (Aug. 29)
Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín is not to be ignored when he makes a film about a famous woman with a tragic narrative (see: “Spencer,” “Jackie”). This time he’s teamed with screenwriter Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”) and Jolie to bring opera singer Maria Callas back to life in “Maria.” The soprano was a tabloid fixture, perhaps most famous for her affair with Aristotle Onassis, who would end up leaving her for another of Larraín’s tragic women: Jacqueline Kennedy. Callas died in 1977, at age 53, but remains one of classical music’s bestselling artists. “Maria” is playing in competition and seeking distribution.
“Queer” (Sept. 3)
Luca Guadagnino returns to Venice with “Queer,” an adaptation of the William S. Burroughs novel, starring Daniel Craig in a performance that Barbera has called “career defining.” It follows an American expat to Mexico City on a quest for a drug. There, he encounters all sorts of characters and develops an obsession with a young man. The novel was written in the early 1950s, a sort of companion piece to “Junkie,” but not published until 1985. Others have attempted to adapt it before, including Steve Buscemi and Oren Moverman. “Queer” is also seeking distribution.
“The Room Next Door” (Sept. 2)
Pedro Almodóvar’s English-language debut, with Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton starring? We barely even need a description to get excited about that, which is probably good because details are vague. He’s said that it’s about an imperfect mother and a resentful daughter who are estranged because of a “profound misunderstanding.” In addition to tackling subjects like war, death, friendship and sexual pleasure, Almodóvar said, “it also talks about the pleasure of waking up to birds bringing a new day at a house built on a natural reserve in New England.” It’ll also make a stop at the New York Film Festival before a December release.
“Babygirl” (Aug. 30)
Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn made the wildly fun “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” so we’re especially curious what “Babygirl” holds. The erotic thriller stars Nicole Kidman (who 25 years ago came to Venice with “Eyes Wide Shut”) as a powerful CEO who begins an affair with a younger intern played by Harris Dickinson (“Triangle of Sadness,” “The Iron Claw”). Antonio Banderas also co-stars. A24 plans a December theatrical release.
“The Brutalist” (Sept. 1)
This 3 1/2-hour drama from filmmaker Brady Corbet follows architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) and his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) on a decadeslong journey as they flee Europe following World War II and attempt to set up a life in America. There, Toth meets industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), who commissions him to design a modernist monument, changing their lives for better and worse. Corbet (“Vox Lux”) is not always going to be a filmmaker for everyone, but he’s never not interesting. Focus Features and Universal are distributing, but the movie does not yet have a release date.
“Youth (Homecoming)” (Sept. 6)
There are quite a few innovative offerings in the nonfiction space: Errol Morris’ “Separated,” about the Trump administration’s border policy; Asif Kapadia’s future-looking “2073”; “Pavements,” Alex Ross Perry’s hybrid doc about the Stephen Malkmus band; and Andres Veiel’s “Riefenstahl.” But only one made it to the main competition: Wang Bing’s “Youth (Homecoming),” the conclusion to his verité documentary trilogy in which he followed migrant workers in Zhili, China’s textile factories across five years. It’s seeking distribution.
“April” (Sept. 5)
Georgian filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili’s sophomore film is about Nina, an OB-GYN working in rural Georgia who also performs abortions, despite the laws of the country. When a newborn dies in her care, an investigation fuels rumors about her morality and professionalism. Three years after the abortion drama “Happening” snagged the top prize at Venice, the buzz is that this will be one of the breakouts. Kulumbegashvili’s debut, “Beginning,” about the bombing of a Jehovah’s Witnesses church, made waves on the festival circuit in 2020. “April,” which is seeking a U.S. distributor, is also set to play at TIFF and the New York Film Festival.
“The Order” (Aug. 31)
Jude Law produced and stars in this 1980s-set crime thriller about a white supremacist group who his FBI agent character suspects is tied to a series of crimes in the Pacific Northwest. Nicholas Hoult plays the group’s charismatic leader in the Justin Kurzel-directed film, to be released in theaters in December.
“Harvest” (Sept. 3)
“Attenberg” and “Chevalier” filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari returns to the main competition with “Harvest,” an adaptation of the Jim Crace novel set in a medieval English village where the locals use three newcomers as scapegoats for economic turmoil. It’s apparently the reason star Caleb Landry Jones did his “Dogman” press with a Scottish accent last year. Mubi has distribution rights in several European territories, but no dates or U.S. plans have been announced.
BONUS: “Disclaimer” (Aug. 29)
This is not a film, but this series coming to AppleTV+ on Oct. 11 is from Alfonso Cuarón, who wrote and directed the seven-episode psychological thriller starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline. Blanchett plays a journalist who discovers she’s a character in a novel that reveals her dark secret.
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